Society's Leadership
Do We Need God in Today's Society? • Sermon • Submitted
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· 2 viewsSociety chooses leaders who live lives contrary to the Word of God.
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But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
About the Series
About the Series
Do we need God in today’s society?
As believers, we each answered that question according to our own religious experiences and theological beliefs.
Society proclaims that we don’t need God in today’s day and age, and therefore attempts to fashion its beliefs and morality apart from God, His influence, and His standards.
Recap
Recap
Society is opposed to God’s truth and has attempted to fashion facts according to its version of reality rather than fashion its reality to the facts.
Society has attempted to fashion its version of morality apart from God.
Society’s Choice
Society’s Choice
Paul reveals the type of individuals that society, in the last days, will establish as its leaders.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Why Follow These?
Why Follow These?
They condone society’s sinful behavior.
They encourage and enable sinful behavior.
They reject and stand against and form of godliness.
Characteristics of Society’s Leaders
Characteristics of Society’s Leaders
Manipulative and Deceptive
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,
The phrase “gullible women,” “silly women” in the KJV, refers to these leaders are targeting.
In the Greek culture of the 1st century, women didn’t attend school or university, and therefore they were considered less intelligent than men and often targeted for financial gain as well as social influence.
In today’s society, we would label such leaders as being “silver tongued devils.”
They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
KJV uses the world “beguile” instead of “entice.”
Eve claimed the serpent beguiled her.
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Every thought and argument that society tries to worm into our lives, we must weigh against the Word of God.
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Society’s leaders are mere mortals, but God’s Word is eternal.
LAMED. For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.
Depraved and Distorted Minds
Now just as Jannes and Jambres were hostile to and resisted Moses, so these men also are hostile to and oppose the Truth. They have depraved and distorted minds, and are reprobate and counterfeit and to be rejected as far as the faith is concerned.
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
Peter gives more insight to their depravity.
He describes them as lustful, greedy, and with no desire to change their sinful behavior.
Because of their depraved and distorted minds, they are hostile to the faith, i.e., they aren’t saved nor desired to be.
The church is just as susceptible to these ungodly leaders and therefore has to be wary of them because they try to worm their way into its leadership thus leading it astray.
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
These false teachers have wormed their way into the leadership of some churches and denominations.
Conclusion/Called to Action
Conclusion/Called to Action
Know the truth
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Live according to the truth
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?